Well cementing device



May 24, 1932. o. A. MELLIN WELL CEMENTING DEVICE Filed Sept.- 9, 1951 VENTOR.

ATTORNEYS. I

Patented J May 24, 1932 UNITED STATES PATENT oFFIcE OSCAR A. MELL IN, OF ALAMEDA, CALIFORN'IIZA, TO BAKER OIL TOOLS, ING, OF

HUNTINGTON PARK, CALIFORNIA,

A CORPORATION OF CALIFORNIA WELL camp-me omen I Application filed September 9, 1931. Serial No. 561,857.

This invention relates to cementing and floating apparatus for well casings.

It isthe principal object of the present invention t0 pro'vide an improved cementing and floating device which may be incorporated in ,a'string of well casing and capable of use in floating the same into a well bore and then ejecting cement between the easing. and the wall of the bore for effecting a seal therebetween, the device being of simple constructiom' efficient in operation and inexpensive to manufacture. 7

In carrying the invention into practice I provide a tubular member such as a casing shoe or collar in which a valve body of lapideous material is secured to resist end pressure.

A valve chamber is formed in this valve body from which radial cementing ports emanate. A passageway is formed from the upper end of the chamber through the'upper end of the valve body and from the lower end of the valve chamber through the lower end of the valve body. A single valve member controls these passages so that when floating in the casing a flow offiuid between the chamber and the interior of the casing above the body will be prevented, and during the cementing operation a fluid flow from the chamber through the lower end of the body will be prevented. i I

One form which the invention may assume is exemplified in the following description and illustrated by way of example in the accompanying drawings, in which:

Fig. 1 is a central longitudinal section through a well cementing device. embodying the preferrd'form of my invention.

Fig. 2 is a transverse sectional view taken on line IIII of Fig. 1. p,

Referring more particularly to the accompanying drawings, 10 indicates a floating and cementing-device for well casings which includes a tubular member 11 such as acasing shoe or collar which may be incorporated in a string of well casing. When the apparatus is to be employed for shutting off intermediate water, the tubular member 11 is in the form of a casing collar so that it may be interposed between adjacentsections of the well casing string. If it is desired, however, to employ the device at the lower extremity of the string of well casing, the tubular member 11 is in the form of a casing shoe.

Secured in the tubular member 11 is a valve body 12 which is formed of cementitious or otherlapideous materiaL- This valve body is so secured in the tubular member 11 that it will resist tremendous pressures exerted at either end thereof. In the present instance I have shown the valve body 12 as formed of cementit-ious' material cast directly into the tubular member 11. The interior surface of the tubular member is isuitablygrooved or scored so that the valve body will be securely anchored thereto in orderto resist dislodgment. t f

During the casting of the valve b0dy 12, it is formed the ends of which are defined by a pair of flat plates 15 formed of bakelite or other suitable material which may be readily drilled up and circulated. It will be noticed that the plates 15 overlap the valve chamber so that the marginal edges thereof will be embedded in the cementitious material during the casting thereof.

An upper passageway 16 is arranged coaxially of the valve chamber and extends from the upper end of the valve chamber through the upper end of the valve body 12. This opening,

of course, extends through the upper plate15 and on the undersurface of this plate the opening is surrounded by a valve seat.17. A

A lower passageway 18 is also formed in the valve body coaxially of the valve chamher and this passageway extends from the lower end of the valve chamber through the.

.lower end of the valve body 12. This passageway as illustrated extends through the lower plate 15 and the upper surface of this plate is formed with a valve seat which circumscribes the upper end of the passageway 18. Y Arranged in the valve chamber is a ball valve member 19 which is adapte'd to cooperate with the valve'seats at the terminating with a central valve chamber 14;

ends of both the upper and lower passageways. I have shown radial ribs or guide members 20 in the valve chamber which areprovided for the purpose of guiding the ball valve member in its vertical movement between the valve seats. I may, however, in practice dispense with these ribs.

Extending radially outward from the valve chamber at a point intermediate the ends of the latter is a plurality of cementing ports 21. These ports communicate at their inner ends with the interior of the valve chamber and extend outwardly through the tubular member 11. At this point the cementing ports are fitted with nozzles 22 which are so designed that when cement is ejected through the ports it will be forced in an upward helical path substantially tangential to the outer periphery of the tubular member. The arrangement of the ports and the construction of the nozzles is dcscribed and claimed in a copending application of Clarence E. Burt, filed June 25, 1930 and bearing Serial Number 463,662. The advantage of this arrangement of the ports and nozzles is that it prevents an undesirable washing action on the wall of the hole and provides even distribution of the cement around the casing and prevents channeling of the cement.

In operation of the device, it is connected with a string of well casing and when the well casing is being lowered into the hole the pressure at the lower end of the plug Wlll cause the ball valve member 19 to seat upwardly on the valve seat betweenthe upper passageway and the valve chamber, preventing the flow of fluid from the valve chamber to the interior of the casing above the valve body. The fluid in the casing below the valve body will, however, pass upwardly through the lower passageway into the valve chamber, and discharge outwardly through the cementing ports. This will insure that the cementing ports and nozzles will be kept clean and open for the subsequent cementing operation. In this manner the plug will act to float the easing into the hole, which floating action relieves the derrick of part of the load of the string.

When the casing has been properly positioned in the hole, cement slurry under pressure is forced down thecasing and through the upper passageway, causing the ball valve member 19 to shut off communication between the valve chamber and the lower passageway by seating on the seat between the, lower passageway and the valve chamber. The cement will then pass into the valve chamber and thence throughthe'cementing ports and nozzles into the space between the ixterior of the casing and the wall of the ore.

When the pressure on the cementslurry in the well casing is relieved the buoyant nature of the ball .valve 19 will cause it to rise and seat upwardly so as to prevent the cement from passing back into the valve chamber and upwardly intothe casing above the 1. A well cementing device of the character described comprising a tubular member, a valve body secured therein, said valve body having a valve chamber therein intermediate the ends thereof, said valve body having apassageway extending between the upper end of the valve chamber through the upper end of the'valve body, said. valve body having a passageway extending from the lower end of the valve chamber through the lower end of the valve body, unobstructed ports ext-endmg radially from the chamber. outwardly through the valve body and tubular member, a valve member in said chamber capable of discontinuing fluid flow from the chamber through the upper end of the valve body or from the chamber through the lower end of the valve body.

2. A well cementing device of the character described comprising a tubular member, a

valve body secured therein, said valve body L having a valve chamber therein intermediate the ends thereof, said valve body having a passageway extending between the upper end of the valve chamber through the upper end of the valve body, said valve body having a I passageway extending from the lower end of the valve chamber through the lower end of the valve body, unobstructed ports extendin radially from the chamber outwardly through the valve body and tubular member, a single valve member in said chamber capable of discontinuing flow of fluid from said valve chamber to either passageway.

3. A well cementing device of the character described, comprising a tubular member, a

valve body secured therein, said valve body having a valve' chamber therein intermediate the ends thereof, said valve body having a passageway extending between the upper end of the valve chamber through the upper end If? of the valve body, said valve body having a passageway extending from thelower end of the valve chamber through the lower end of the valve body, ports extending radially from the chamber outwardly through the valve body and tubular member, a valve seat at the junction of the valve chamber and the passageway extending upwardly therefrom, ,a valve seat at the junction of the chamber and the passageway extend ng downwardly therci V prising a tubular member,

connected therewith, said valve body from, and a ball valve member in said chamber to cooperate with either seat.

4. A device of the character described coma valve body secured therein, said valve body having'a valve chamber therein intermediate the ends thereof, said valve body having a passageway extending between the upper end of the valve chamber through the upper end of the valve body, said valve body having a passageway extending vfrom the lower end of the valve chamber through the lower end of the valve body, ports extending radially from the chamber outwardly through the valve body and tubular member, a valve seat at the junction of the valve chamber and the passageway extending upwardly therefrom, a valve seat at the junction of the chamber and the passageway extending downwardly therefrom, a ball valve in the chamber buoyant in fluid cement and capable of seating on either sea't'whereby to shut ofl? communication between one passageway and the valve chamber while permitting fluid flow between the other passage way and the valve chamber.

5. An apparatus of the character described comprising a tubular member, a valve body of lapideous material secured in said member, said valve body having a valve chamber formed therein between the ends thereof, said valve body having an upper passage extending from theupper end of the valve chamber through the upper end of the valve body, said valve body having a lower passage extending from the lower end of the valve chamber through the lower end of the valvebody, ports extending radially from the chamber outwardly through the valve body (and through the tubular member, a valve member in said chamber capable of discontinuing the flowof fluid from the valve chamber to either passage.

6. Air apparatus of the character described comprising a tubular member, a valve body of lapideous material secured in said mem-' her, said valve body having a valve chamber formed therein between the" ends thereof, said valve body having an upper passage extending from' the upper end of the valve chamber through the upper end of the valve body, said valve body having a lower passage extending from, the lower end of the valve chamber through the'lower end of the valve body, ports extending radially from i the chamber outwardly. through the valve body and through the tubular member, a ball valve buoyant in fluid cement capable of'seating oneither seat to prevent the flow of fluid. from the valve chamber to either passage.

7 A device of the character described comprising a tubular member adapted to be connected toia string of well casing, a valve body of cementitious material cast directly into said tubular member and inseparably having said passageways, a

"through the upper end of the valve'body being formed with a lower sageway extending from the lower end of the a valve chamber formed therein, plates embeddedin said valve body and defining the ends of said valve chamber, said valve body being formed with an upper passageway extending from the upper endiof the chamber through the upper end of the valve body, said A valve body being formed with a lower passageway extending 'from the lower end of the valve chamber through the lower end of the valve body, the inner surfaces of said plates being formed with valve seats surrounding said passageways, a ball valve member of non-metallic material and buoyant in fluid cement arranged within said chamber for cooperation with either valve seat, said valve body being formed with cementing ports extending from a point intermediate the ends of the valve body and tubular member.

8. A device of the character described comprising a tubular member adapted to be connected to a string of well casing,

a valve body of cementitious material cast directly into said tubular member and inseparably connected therewith, said valve body having a valve chamber formed therein, plates embedded in said valve body "and defining the ends of said valve chamber,'said valve body being formed with an upper passageway extending from the upper end of the chamber through the upper end of the valve body, said Valve body being formed with a lower passageway extending from the lower end of the valve chamber through the lower end ofthe valve body, theiimer' surfaces of said plates being formed with valve seats surrounding ball valve member of non-metallic material and buoyantin fluid tendingvfrom a point intermediate the ends valve chamber outwardly through the cement arranged within said chamber for cooperation with either valve seat, said valve, body being formed with cementing ports exof the valve chamber outwardly through the 7 Valve body and tubular member, nozzles at the outer ends of said ports tojdirect cement ejectedin an upwardhelical path.

' 9. A device of the character described comprising a tubular member adapted to be 'cona valve body nected to a string of well casing,

of cementitious material cast directly into said tubular member-and inseparably con-' nected therewith said valve body having a valve chamber tormed therein, plates embeddedin said valve body and defining the nds of said valve chamber, said valve body being formed with an upper passageway extending from the upper end of the chamber valve body, said pasnon-metallic material and buoyant in fluid cement arranged within said chamber for cooperation with elther valve seat, said valve body being formed with cementing ports extending from a point intermediate the ends of the valve chamber outwardly through the valve body and tubular member, guide means in the valve chamber adapted to guide said ball in a vertical path between said valve seats.

- OSCAR A. MELLIN. 

